Muffler



Feb. 22,1927'. u 1,618,451

'y IF.M.| EARY v MUFFLER Filed June 29,. 1921 753. y I L" Il Tf i 4 "E: 1 l| *Il I n l E l Il x Biz/6111?? Patented Feb. 22, 1927. i

FRANK M. LEARY, F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

MUFFLER.

Application filed June 29, 1921. Serial No. 481,217.

This invention relates to certain improvements in muftlers for internal combustion I engines, and has for its chief objects to pro- Avide a muiiler and method of muitling by which there is caused a silent discharge of the exhaust, which minimizes back pressure, and reduces the liability of back fire.

. The chief feature o-f the present invention is'the dividing of the differentl exhaust impulses into a large number of sub-divisions which are discharged individually, Y and inthe preferred embodiment of the invention the exhaust gases are discharged into one point of the periphery of the casing containing a freely rotatable vaned wheel which is impelled at high speed by the exhaust, the wheel having a large number of Vcompartments into which the exhaust impulse is split or divided, and which conveys the exhaust in separate compartments of the wheel to an outlet, also preferably extending from the periphery at a point removed from the inlet to the casing.

' The invention may be further briefly summarized asconsisting in cert-ain novel details of construction, and combinations and arrangements of parts, as well as the steps of ther improved method, which will lbe described in the specification and set forth in Athe appended claim.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings showing the preferred embodiment of the invention, Fig. 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section of the preferred form of the muffler; and Fig. 2 is a i plan view of the same partly in section.

In carrying out my invention l utilize a chamber or casing 10 which is preferably cylindrical, and conta-ins a freely rotatable :wheel or conveyor' 11, having parallel sides f lla'which are close to the side walls of the casing 10, and extend out substantially to Likewise this Wheel is provided with outstanding partitions or vanes 11D preferably radially arranged, and extending out substantially to the periphery of the casing, as shown, forming a large number of relatively small wedge-shaped compartments 11, open at their outer end.

This'wheel is in this instance provided with a central shaft 11d whose ends project beyond the sides of the wheel and are journaled in bearings l0a of the casing. Ball bearingsmay be provided if desired, but I prefer to use so-called standard oilless bear- -ings which allow the wheel to run freely, i.. e.

with little friction, noiselessly, and at high speed.

The casing 10 has connected to its periphery, an inlet pipe 12, and an outlet or discharge pipe 13 which communicate with lthe casing through its peripheral wall at diametrically opposite points, it being understood that the pipe 12 will be connected to the exhaust manifold of the engine.

In operation, the exhaust gas is discharged by means of thepipe 12 into the multi-compartment wheel 11b, and as the wheel is rotated at an extremely rapid speed by the impelling action of the exhaust gases, the gas from each exhaust impulse is received and allowed to expand into a number of the compartments 11C, so that it is split or subdivided into numerous divisions or parts which are carried around and allowed to discharge through the pipe 1l with a silent and substantially continuous discharge instead of the intermittent discharge which ordinarily produces relatively noisy exhaust. Furthermore, due to the fact that the subdivided exhaust gases are carried around in the wheel in separate compartments which are practically closed and shut oli from the other compartments, the liability of back lire taking place in the muffler is almost entirely eliminated, and since the wheel is rotated at high speed very readily, the muffler imposes practically no back pressure on the engine. It might be mentioned that the three-fold advantages mentioned above have been demonstrated by careful tests which not only disclose the silent character of the discharge, and the elimination of liability of back fire, but by testing the engine both with the muffler connected to the engine, and disconnected, no appreciable power is gained with the mutller cut out.

Having described my invention, I claim: A mniiier comprising a cylindrical casing having inlet and exhaust openings at substantially diametrically opposite points in its cylindrical wall and tangentially arranged inlet and outlet conduits leading to and from said openings, the outlet conduit being unobadapted to receive gases from the inlet and strueted, a freely rotating conveying Wheel convey the gases to the outlet, the movement journaled in the casing, said conveying Wheel of the conveying Wheel being controlled 10 lim/'ing a close fit Within the Cylindrical Wall solely by the exhaust gases.

5 of the casing and having u series of cr- VIn testimony whereof, I hereunto afx my cnmferentially arranged confipartinents open signature. Y only at the periphery of the Wheel and FRANK M. LEARY. 

